December 1st 1973 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

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All fans of Papua New Guinea were, no doubt, delighted, this week in 1973, as it was the week in which those islands achieved self-government, having previously been run by Australia. 

I must confess that, before writing this post, I was not aware Papua New Guinea had ever been ruled by the land of Kylie. I can only assume it must have been some sort of holdover from World War II.

What's this? A brand new Vulture? Who even wears a hat on his head? Can it be true?

Yes, it can! 

Apparently, the original version's managed to die in prison but, fortunately for all lovers of criminality, his cellmate Blackie Drago's been available to take his place.

Now what can stop that flying felon from defeating Spider-Man and becoming master of New York's airspace?

Not Spider-Man, that's for sure. It turns out the wall-crawler has a cold and promptly gets flattened by the feathery fiend, despite that fiend being rubbish by the standards of Spider-Man foes.

Thor, meanwhile, is still battling the Destroyer, Odin’s still asleep and Loki’s still trying to help the thunder god.

But can anyone possibly help our hero against such a deadly foe?

And will he even need it?

I've never read this story but what does instantly strike me is that its title must have provided inspiration for the later yarn Even An Android Can Cry. A fact of which I was previously ignorant. Truly, writing this blog is an educational experience worthy of the planet Earth's finest universities.

Apparently, the Wasp is on the verge of death - and only one surgeon can save her.

And it's not Don Blake.

Good grief, it's not even Dr Strange!

Amazingly, there's a third surgeon on the planet!

However, it turns out that, not only is he a whizz with a scalpel, he's also a space alien!

I can only assume this will fling endless trouble and obstacles in the path of the Wasp's recovery.

As for what Doctor Strange is up to in his own strip, I'm not totally sure but I do know the adventure's called The World Beyond and features the return of Nightmare.

Excitement is untrammelled because, for me, this is where the Hulk’s great era kicks off.

In this epic adventure, the Green galoot encounters the awesome power of Ka-Zar and his sabre–toothed tiger. 

I must confess that, when I read this, as a kid, it was the first time I'd ever encountered Ka-Zar and, because of that, I was under the impression he must be almost as strong as the Hulk.

Little did I know that he's just some bloke who shouts things.

But who cares about that? We’ve got the Savage land. We've got prehistoric monsters. We've got angry Marsh Men, and a giant robot called Umbu. Surely, no human being could ever demand more from a story.

 And it's not just the Hulk who's giving us classic fare, because the Fantastic Four are having their introductory scrap with the diabolical, chemical, chaos-causing criminality of a man the world knows only as Diablo.

What's his real name and why is a Medieval alchemist wearing a super-villain costume?

I've no idea but I do know he's managed the not altogether difficult feat of turning the Thing against his teammates.

Surely, it can only be a matter of instants before times are clobberinged and flames are on.